The English language is the lingua franca of the 21st century - everyone wants to learn it. Photo British Council Russia via Flickr CC

Overseas jobs with non-profit organizations

If you have any experience that can be put to use in a developing country, you might pick up some short-term work with international organizations like the United Nations or its agencies, or with charities like Oxfam and Save the Children.

Here are some areas in which you might find work - if you're qualified:

Communications and report-writing

Fundraising

Monitoring and evaluation

Web work and social media

Health and medical specialties

Sanitation...

You get the picture. If you have the skill, flog it.

It's often easy for these agencies to hire people for short-term assignments (as opposed to near-impossible if you're looking for a real job).

Wherever there is poverty, help isn’t far behind. You might find some work with one of these groups.

There is a loophole: if the position is short-term, say a few weeks or months, field offices can often simply hire people locally on a freelance or temporary basis. If you're qualified, and on-site, this may be your chance.

Plan in advance. Look up the UN and NGO offices where you're going. Write ahead. Spruce up your CV. Or just call once there.

I got lucky in Laos: I called the UNICEF office in Vientiane when I arrived and offered myself up as a writer. They had a project in Luang Prabang and no one to do it so they flew me up for a few days; I attended a workshop and wrote up the report. I was qualified for the job - but all I did was ask. You never know!

I got lucky in Laos. There isn't much work abroad for unskilled workers and what work there is goes to local citizens - as it should. But if you're qualified, it's worth a shot.

Casual and seasonal jobs overseas

What if you don't speak a foreign language, you can't type, and the thought of teaching sends shivers down your spine?

Travelers have found joy in all sorts of jobs...

Like working on a farm, the 'odd job' - the pulling, picking, plucking or hauling when manual labor is hard to find.

My friend Lisa worked as a barista in Australia, and plenty of other travelers find jobs in bars and pubs (lost on my as I don't drink - I wouldn't know how to pour one!)

There is also seasonal work to be found in the hospitality industry, for example ski resort jobs, serving in cafés, working in a bar or hotel (yes, I've done that too), working at a Club Med, being a club DJ...

I've worked as a hostess at major conventions before - check the major congresses in town and call up the administration. If you speak English plus another language or two, you may be in luck.

Or yacht jobs on smaller boats that ply well-traveled routes to the Caribbean or across the Atlantic? The pay may be low, but you'll get where you're going without having to pay for hotel rooms.

If children are more your thing and you have a few months to spare, au pair positions are sometimes available, through forums or local agencies. There's no better way to truly immerse yourself in a culture (and saving some money while you're doing it).

Now this is a long shot - but you could work as a movie extra. In London? Try browsing this site just for fun.

And if you're just looking for room and board, hostels have been known to provide work in exchange for a bed. Nice, if you're desperate.

This website - Women on the Road - is designed to earn me a modest income wherever I go, as long as I have access to wifi. It's my passion, so I'm more focused on what it is than what it earns.

That said - I have two other websites designed to do just the opposite.

These days you can find Internet access pretty much anywhere... Photo Jonathan Lidbeck via Flickr CC

Web-based freelance jobs

The beauty of the web is that it allows you to telecommute, full-time while you're home, and part-time when you're on the road. There are literally hundreds of web-based jobs you can take on - all from the cozyness of an Internet café.

Plenty of jobs fall into this category, and this is just a sampling:

Editing

Proofreading

Photo editing

Web research

Web design

Virtual assistance

Graphics

Advertising

Public relations

Translation

Writing resumes...

These traditional 'stay-at-home' jobs no longer require you to stay at home: they can be done from anywhere. You've probably all heard of Tim Ferriss's Four-Hour Work Week, or read articles about the new nomads, location-independent individuals who live their entire lives on the road.

You don't have to move overseas forever but the web can be your job-hunting friend.

The best places to look for online jobs are sites like elance.com, odesk.com or freelancer.com - just sign up and bid for jobs you're qualified for. I know this works: I've found jobs and hired people this way.

Overseas writing jobs - and not just about travel

Travel writing is one of the best overseas jobs in the world. It's also probably the most competitive, the least lucrative, and the hardest to find.

Have I discouraged you yet?

Good!

The joys of seeing your name in print and your first paycheck are hard to beat. I actually framed my first byline...

If your goal is to make enough to stay on the road, becoming a travel writeris an option. But only if you really want to write. It's not an easy profession - at least not if you want to actually get paid for it.

Photographers have it even worse as websites think nothing of grabbing pictures and using them for free. BUT...

It's easier to sell your words if you have beautiful pictures to go with them.

There are plenty of other kinds of writing (or providing content, if you're writing for a commercial website). Many local companies advertise or prepare corporate materials in English - and sometimes they fail dismally. If you can put words together, you might get a bit of work fixing what they've done.

That's me, working on the road, with my iPad and portable keyboard

Professional jobs

If you're a professional, using your skills will probably be the first thing you think about.

I've been a professional writer or journalist all my life so working with words is the first thing I look for (even if I do sometimes end up doing strange things, like selling toilet seats!)

If you're a health professional or an engineer you're lucky: you have naturally portable professions, like mine. If you're a schoolteacher, you may be able to find replacement work or a real job (this site has a lot of listings).

There are plenty of nursing jobs (have a look at my page on international travel nursing for a few ideas), medical jobs, accounting jobs, and other professional jobs to be found in other countries.

And here's where you find them:

On major job boards, like monster.com (actually I never look at these megasites - they're too broad for me)

Through LinkedIn - a step up and often good for networking

On professional job forums (this is where Google becomes your best friend) - getting better

And finally, on expat forums - just Search for country + expat + forum and you'll find local discussion forums, often with local job classifieds; expats are usually helpful and knowledgeable! This is often my best source of job leads.

Have you ever worked outside your own country?

I'd love to hear about it if you have! What did you do? Where did you work and where are you from? How did it change you? Would you do it again?

Entering your information is easy to do. Just type!... Tell us about your job, where and when it took place, what was different about working in your own country, what other travelers should know if they want to do the same thing... and anything else you'd like us to know. Your entry should be at least 400 words long and no more than 800 words.

Your story will appear on a Web page in this section. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

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